Rating: 
Summary: An Excellent Film! Perhaps the Best of the Year!
Review: Although A Beautiful Mind was a knockout film, it slightly takes second place to this stunning story of a family who goes through utter hell when they lose their one and only son. The movie takes place in three parts like a great Russian novel. The first shows the everyday life of the family, how they interact with each other, and the growing love between Nick Stahl and a much older women, Marisa Tomei. The second part deals with the family's loss and shows how one painful thing can lead to endless fights, arguments, and showdowns, specificly between Nick Stahl's parents (Brilliantlly played by Tom Wilkinson and Sissy Spacek). And the Third deals with revenge and many attempts to fill the void of loss. First time Director Todd Fields has brought us a truly haunting story that shows how grief can turn into anger, anger can turn into hate, and hate can turn into revenge. Besides being the best film of the year, it is also a showcase for great performances by Tom Wilkinson, Marisa Tomei, and especially Sissy Spacek who left me speechless and inspired for days after I saw this film. As I brought up in my review of A Beautiful Mind, I felt Russel Crowe was the true Best Actor of the year and was very upset to see him not recieve the Academy Award. The Same goes for Sissy Spacek in this film. Her depiction of Ruth Fowler is nothing short of genuis. She was by far the Best Actress of the year. In a long career of wonderful parts, for her, this is the icing on the cake.
Rating: 
Summary: well done but violent premise is flawed
Review: Those who appreciate good directing and good acting will appreciate "In the Bedroom", and the as the plot unfolds and the marriage of two leading characters disintegrates in the face of sorrow and accusations, we are treated to mature, skillful performances seasoned with nuances.
However, like the marriage, the movie itself begins to disintegrate as the grieving father makes a series of extremely regrettable, irreparable decisions. Instead of veering toward revenge, I would have liked to have seen the parents work through their devastating situation to some kind of honorable resolution.
Rating:
Summary: A brilliant movie from every angle
Review: Todd Field has crafted a near perfect film. His script gives way to three of the most daring and difficult performances of the year, from Sissy Spacek, Tom Wilkinson, and Marissa Tomei. The film is all about relationships. Mother and son, father and son, boy and girl, boy and girl's ex. The explosive relationships make the film both intriguing and very deep. The star of this movie is absolutely Tom Wilkinson. He breaks your heart as the father driven to the edge by the love for his wife and the love for his only son. The last shot of the film will stay with you long after the credits roll. The beautiful music, composed by the genius Thomas Newman, is weaved perfectly into the film to add power and suspense. Buy this movie. I promise you will not regret it.
Rating:
Summary: Simple and Beautiful
Review: Today's Hollywood has produced movies that appear to be made behind a computer screen. Enough special effects. In a time when movies are made to earn millions of dollars based strictly on advertising, endorsements, or cool fx, In The Bedroom is a fantastic and refreshing movie with the emphasis on acting and dialogue rather than what can be done with a green screen. The script is incredible and the beauty of the movie lies in its simplicity and near perfect grasp on reality. This movie is true--made solely with diagetic sound (no musical score/only sound natural to the picture). Similar to the stage works of Kenneth Lonergan, this movie brilliantly develops every character and shows the haunting reality of a situation the characters themselves do not know how to handle. Beautifully done and very intellectually orchestrated. See it!
Rating:
Summary: Not one false note
Review: This film is as close to perfection as you can get. There is not one moment, one shot, or one line that lacks a definite purpose in this achingly beautiful, yet chilling film. Spacek and Wilkinson are amazing. Marissa Tomei perfectly underplays the role of Natalie, the catalyst to the story. As you watch this film, you know Frank (Nick Stahl) and Natalie's relationship is genuine, yet fragile and dangerous. The suspense builds slowly and effectively. The ultimate tragedy however pales in comparison to what follows next. William Mapother and Celia Weston (remember her from the sit-com Alice?) head a strong supporting cast. You can see the tremendous care Todd Field put in scenic design, shot selection and character development. These people seem so real. I felt like I was intruding upon a true story. I am a huge movie fan, and rarely does a film move me to the point of constant reflection. This is one of those films. I will never forget it.
Rating:
Summary: Good plot, original,but very slow.
Review: I liked the plot and the acting was excellent,but I was very dissapointed with this movie. It was too drawn out. I was expecting more, due to the great reviews,but I wasn't too impressed. All of the action was in the first half hour then it was about an hour of reactions just wacthing the parents ignore each other, a little action in the end, and it's over. I really didn't get what was so great about it.
Rating:
Summary: A deeply moving film that blows the viewer away
Review: Being a teenager who is obsessed with the Oscars, I watched "In the Bedroom" at the theater because it was nominated for Best Picture. It was not at all what I expected. The movie is astonishingly good with brilliant performance from the stars including Tom Wilkingson, Sissy Spacek, Marisa Tomei, and the grown up kid from "The Man Without a Face". I rarely cry at movies, but this movie is so moving and heartwrenching that it's nearly impossible to hold back the tears. Watch this movie with an open mind. You will not be disappointed. See what the true art of filmmaking is about.
Rating:
Summary: THE BEST OF 2001
Review: THE ACTING IN THIS MOVIE WAS THE BEST WHICH CAN ONLY BE VERIFIED BY THE NUMBER OF OSCAR NOMANATIONS IT RECEIVED..THE STORY WILL KEEP YOU ON THE EDGE OF YOUR SEAT... THE DIRECTION WAS OUTSTANDING.. SIT BACK, TURN YOUR DVD PLAYER ON AND PREPARE FOR A RIDE YOU WILL NOT FORGET FOR AWHILE
Rating:
Summary: In the Bedroom -- One of the BEST Films of 2001
Review: In the Bedroom begins as a sunny romance between Frank Folwer (Nick Stohl), a college student returning home for the summer, and Natalie (Marisa Tomei), an older and not quite divorced mother of two. Revolving around their blossoming romance, and the effects it has on Frank's parents, Ruth (Sissy Spacek) and Matt (Tom Wilkinson). They are bothered by the affair, worried he might get lost in his love of Natalie, losing sight of his future academic goals. Abruptly, tragedy strikes the small Maine community, throwing the Folwer family into a tailspin. The film switches diections, becoming an intimate study of Matt and Ruth's marriage, how sadness and pain can fracture the Folwer's to fill with anger and bitterness. The movie is not a romance or a thriller, as various trailers may suggest, but a character study of how people act and react to events in their lives. Todd Field's direction and script follow the characters of Ruth and Matt, not through plot driven elements, but through their own concealed anguish and suffering. The use of silence is menacing, real emotion and pain are exemplified through stares and deep breaths, giving the film a chilly aura. Characters are deconstructed and reexamined through their agonizing experience, relationships change and true feelings of jealousy and rage emerge. Built like a three act play, the movie sharply changes direction and moods along with the actors. Though the screenplay is never awkward, instead its a testament to emotional development and logical storytelling. Spacek, Wilkinson, and Tomei give non-flashy and difficult performances, portraying thoughtful people in realistic situations, they all garnished Oscar nominations for their roles in the film, but its Spacek who stands out amongst the cast. Her layered performance as a grief stricken wife and mother is both touching and frightening, showing how confusion occurring after ones perfect world is shattered can be self-destructive and menacing. The movie, was also nominated for "Best Screenplay" and "Best Picture," is intentionally slow, so as to depict the evolving relationship of the Folwers. It is meant for those who appreciate symbolism, powerful acting, and for anyone who complains that great films aren't made anymore. I highly recommend In the Bedroom, a film deserving of attention, evaluation, praise and every Oscar it was nominated for.
Rating: 
Summary: Near Flawless
Review: In The Bedroom was one of my favorite films of the last year along with A Beautiful Mind and otnemeM (Memento), but it is not for everyone's taste and definatly is not mainstream. In The Bedroom is about a family and the people around them who are shocked by the family's son's death. Past events that were long forgoten are reawakened and no one is left unshatered. The best performances in this film went to Tom Wilkinson, Sissy Spacek, and Marissa Tomei. It has a great screenplay, with no cheap B-Movie lines that affect some films like Mortal Kombat: Anilathion ("It's my animality."(What does that even mean!?)) and no tongue in cheek events. I would have given this five stars, but like I said, not everyone will like this. I however, liked it alot and think it was one of the best films of 2001.
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